The prior art is well documented with numerous examples of articles and methods for creating and or producing a three dimensional model of a part, not limited to prosthetic implants. Also known is the use and manipulation of computer numerically controlled (CNC) technology, such being communicated with various turning/cutting machines for performing operations on a workpiece and in order to create a desired three dimensional pattern.
Relevant systems and methods in the medical related technologies include the method of making a perfected medical model on the basis of digitized image information of a body part as taught by Swaelens, U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,134. Image information of the body part is converted by rapid prototyping techniques via a processing unit and a rapid prototype machine into a basic model which, at least in part, perfectly shows positive/negative form associated with at least a portion of the body.
Fink, U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,692 discloses a prosthetic bone implant fabricated to approximately replicate a patient's original bone. Computer aided imaging techniques are applied to generate a data base representing the size and shape of the original bone in a three dimensional coordinate system. The implantable replica is fabricated using the data base and free form manufacturing to sequentially solidify adjoining intervals of fluid material including ceramic particles which may be selectively bonded by sintering or bonding with a polymer and a monomer which is polymerized at selected regions by an incident laser beam.
Abe et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,113,841, teaches an implant forming method for creating a deficient portion of an existing bone and including generating three dimensional data of the bone based oh a plurality of pieces of tomographic data of the bone. The shape of the missing portion of bone is estimated using three dimensional data corresponding to a symmetrical part of the bone deficient portion.